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Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Jake Brake

Compared to last May when we had recordbreaking rainfall, this May has been downright frigid. We had a frost warning the other night. And yes -- one should never EVER put their garden in before Memorial Day Weekend... but this is cutting it close.

A few weeks ago it got up into the 80s so our second floor turned into a furnace. When the heat broke and it got all cold again, the windows (and in some cases, like this room, the storm windows) were lowered. Sashes shutting out the lovely scent of the lilacs. Last night was warm enough upstairs that I opened our windows, again. And this morning at 6:05 I was shocked awake by a huge semi-truck barrel assing up our street at top speeds. Dude applied his Jake Brake, which sounds like a machine gun, right under my window.

Thanks. Asshat. Way to start my day.

I know it's morning and I know I have to wake up and get out of bed anyway, but there is something spectacularly unwonderful about being scared shitless first thing in the morning. I doubt that anyone would do a drive-by shooting in my neighborhood. Worst I think I can look forward to is perhaps a toilet papering, but I don't see that like we used to do back in High School.

A couple of years ago, they changed some major truck routes in our area for some humongous construction project happening in Haverhill, so the trucks go down our street instead of driving 2 miles "out of their way" on the state numbered roads. So they save time, they save gas money, and it reduces pollution.

Thing is -- these roads over here are not designed to carry humongous semi-trucks filled with dirty fill. The roads are degrading. There are houses around the corner from here that have started to show foundation damage due to the weight and rumble of the trucks.

But some construction guy is saving a few bucks so that's okay. I know for a fact that without trucks and truck drivers America stops. I'm aware of their importance in our society. Not sure why you need to Jake Brake in the middle of a residential neighborhood before the robins are up puling their first worm of the day, but that's just part of life and I should suck it up.

Whatever. I'm still pissed off.

I hate it being 7 am and I'm already in a piss poor mood. I don't enjoy starting my day angry. I hate my commute, I don't enjoy going into my office where it is 90 degrees inside due to our failed AC system, and sitting there all day with a headache already.

Wish me luck. I feel like today is the day wehre I just crawl into a corner and die.

And it just crossed my mind -- it isn't often that you get a real gripey entry from me. I've been incredibly good and optimistic as of late, so my apologies to those of you who come here looking for something a little lighter and less ... feh.

May 25th is Towel Day, and this time last year we were up to our asses in boxes and moving and horrors. If you recall, it was the worst experience of my adult life. To refresh your memory, you can go back to May 25, and 26, and 30th. It was a true horror show, one that I never wish to relive. To this day I'm shocked that it went as poorly as it did and am still mad about some of the events that took place during that week. But to this day I am also still incredibly thankful for my girl C (the non-office one) and Mrs. The Kayla, and my parents, and the two students from Gordon who came and helped us move. For the rest of my life, I can only hope that when there is a major catastrophe that there is at least one human I can think of who made a difference in my experience and made at least one tiny ray of sunshine come through. I learned a lot from last year -- and know we could have done things a lot differently. But I can't go back and fix things that went wrong and get that do over that I so desperately wanted on the 30th.

I love my house and am glad we are here. It feels like we've been here a lot longer than 363 days though... not sure why that is, that it feels as if time has not flown. But we're here, we're okay, and I'm never moving again.

I'll end on a good note. I got to have a nice long chat with a good friend from High School who I haven't heard from in a really long time. Hi Jon. I miss you. He found the journal by googling his wife. I happened to mention her and what she does a long time ago. So it was nice catching up and hearing his voice. In honor of him, I made a Yes and Genesis and Peter Gabriel mix CD to help me deal with my crap commute today and hopefully put a real smile on my face as I cruise down 95.

And this morning, Geoff decided that he would help me without being asked. He got all the garbage barrels together and pulled them down to the end of the drive. He arranged all 4 in a nice line, blocking the driveway, but in perfect order. I had to laugh... and went down to move them so I can get my car out. Only one of the barrels has anything in it. Dude dragged 3 empty barrels down to the end of the drive. As I dragged back the three empty ones, wondering what the hell was this kid thinking, I had to laugh a little. That's my boy.